Carpet-sweeping appliance.



\ c. L. BAENDER.

CARPET SWEEPING APPLIANCE.

APPLICATON FLED]UNE28.1909.

Patented May4,1915.

. 2 SHEETS--SHEET i Inventor oran sri-a rarita" erster.

CHARLES L. BAENDER, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOI-t, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, T0 NATIONAL Slllllll COMPANY, OF TRBXNGTON, CONNECTICUT, A GGR,-

POBATION OF NEW JERSEY.

CARPETLSWEEPING APPLIANCE.

messias.

To all 'whom it may concern.'

' Be it known that l, CHARLES L. BAENDER, Y a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Oakland, in the county oi' Alameda and State of California, have invented new and useful lmprover'nents in Carpet-Sweeping Appliances, of which the following 1s a specification. I

This invention relatesI to a carpet sweeping appliance operating by atmospheric pressure to draw in and gather the dust and sweepings from a carpet while the appliance is moved over its surface.

IThe carpet sweeper of my invention operates on the principle of producing a continuous suction or exhaustion of the air 1n a closed receptacle suliiciently below the nory mal pressure of the atmosphere to induce an inflow of air through a slit or nozzle and thereby draw the dust and sweepings into the receptacle as the appliance is moved over the carpet.

The invention embraces the novel construction and combination of a dust receptacle on wheels, suction bellows and means for operating the bellows in such -manner as to produce and maintain a continuous suction at the inlet slit in the receptacle as the same is moved over the surface of the carpet.

The invention embraces further a novel i means of loosening the pile yof the carpet and dislodging the dirt or particles thereon in the regionof the suction nozzle.

The nature of the said improvements, and the manner in which l proceed to produce. apply and ca rry out `the same are explained at length in the following description, wherein reference is had to the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred construction of a carpet sweeping appliance em. bodying the various features of myinvention.

Patented lllay ai, illli.

Serial No. 504,878.

which the cams act on the bellows. Fig. 6

is a perspective view, on an enlarged scale,

of the air nozzle on the suction receptacle. Fig. 7 is a similar view of the dirt loosening device (in the bottom of the dust receptacle.

In the carpet sweeper of my invention an exhaust atmosphere, or a condition below the normal atmospheric pressure outside, is set up in the dust receptacle 'a through themediuni of a pair of suction' bellows Zie-al, arranged on the top, of the body or casing a* to which the receptacle a is detachably connected. Each bellows consists, besides the casing a, of la. movable top board 2 and a flexible collapsible diaphragm 3 which, as it is alternately expanded and coli lapsed by reciprocating the top board, acts tov draw in the air from the dust receptacle@ through portsain the bottoni 5 and expel the same through an outlet' 6 inthe movable topboard. As the two top-boards 2 are moved up and down ythe bellows are actuated Vin an alternate manner,-one eapanding while the other is collapsing-an exhausted condition of the atmosphere in the dust receptacle is produced that is sutlicieiitly lowlto set up a current or inflow of atmdspheric air through the slit 9 in the nozzle f, and the two bellows b-aiibeing arranged as fshown and actuated inA an alternate manner will maintain a continu-ous exhaust in the 4dust receptacle suicient orvall practical purposes. The number -of bellows can be increased, however, when greater power or capacity is desired byproviding a longer or a wider casing on which the additional room will accommodate a greater number of bellows than two'of the size or power of those illustrated in .the drawings.

A further novel feature consists in pleoe ing the carrying 'wheels under the rear end, and supporting the yvveight of themfront end of the cleaner principally by an adjustable shoe placed under the front end behind the l suction nozzle, the shoe being adjustablein such manner that? the working'distance of the bottom face of the suction nozzle from the "surface ofg`tlie carpet can be adjusted thereby causing the bottom face of the "hozzle to work in different relation to the carpet, or to touchy and bear on thesame with greater or, less pressure.

ice

se nies The nozzle f is :termed or provided with e tubular body l having e narrow vslit or orifice opening into the dust-receptacle e through the bottom, and terminetingr in e relatively broad foot 12, in the middle of which the orifice 9 entends 'transversely for the entire width of the receptacle.

The handle fr: by Ineens oli which the sweeper is propelled end directed over the carpet is attached to the end of the casing nearest the Wheels g-L. rlhe opposite end under which the nozzle is situated, being the front or leading end, is held up by the nozzle, end by its Weight also keeps the foot oi' the nozzle against the surface of the carpet with suliicient pressure to insure e close contact at ell times. The surface of the nozzle foot is preferably corrugated or formed with ridges as shown, that it may the bet* 4.ter rub up the pile -or texture of the surface lover which it is drawn and so loosen and dislodge the dust and particles.

In the preferred construction of this nozzle-illustrated in Fig. tl-v-'sthe tubular body 10 is secred to the bottom of the receptacle e by e flange 13; the corrugated foot 12 en tends beyond the sides as Well as in front of and behind the nozzle.

A further nevel eature in connection With the dust receptacle consists in dividing it by e.r partition 14 into a. dust'collecting compartment fm, for the larger particles end principal portion of the sweepings and e pocket n in which the nest particles. et dust are collected and retained. These compare ments 'mf-n are seperated from the bellows b-d by a screerr'p placed under the ports d, the interstices or apertures-in which ere sufticiently fine to prevent 'the line dust from being carried out by the air currents, end cause it to drop or precipitate instead into the pocket n. The partition le forming the bottom of the pocket n is set nt en angle es shown, for the purpose of causing the particles thrown down by the screen to collect in the corner and deepest part of the pocket farthest from the Anozcle and thus be cnt'oll from, or kept out oi the direct line of, the

, intlowing air currents. f

For convenience in cleaning ont the dust receptacle, the""nrtition lll is removablyv lixed in place byebreckets l5 on the sides of the receptacle. The receptacle itself is also detachably fastened on the body or casing carrying the suction apparatus and its ectneting mechanism; being secured to the casing by clasps or catches of any Woll known form or character. such as are used to testen the lid of a box or a trunk to the body.

As embodied in the present construction, the revolving motion oi? the wheels ,g--FL prodmted by Contact with the carpet is con- .'erted into the necessary reciprocating; niotion of the bellows by ineens ot .teceicnins fixed on the wheel arides7 :and a system of 'the other of the levers' 13-19 fulcruined on the bottom'of the body is always riding up- Ward on the com fece. The cams s-t' are placed at such distance apert that the levers 4iS--lfil may lie between them end allow the rollerIQG-ZI to engage the cem face.

Thev Vlever 18 actuantes the rock-shaft 20 from which the movable board of the bellows I) nearest the rear end of the casing gets its motions, end the outer 'end of that lever is connected with an erm 2l on the end of the rock-shnft 20 by the connecting rod 24. The lever 19 is similarly connected with the rocksheft 36 ot the bellows Z nearest the front by the erm 22 fest' on the rock-shaft, and the 'connecting rod 23. Both levers 18-19 ere pivotelly etteclled et the ends to e common bracket 25,0111 the bottom of the casing.

A roller studQ on the lever 18 rests on end is held in werking contact with. the a-ce of the cem s by e. curved switch-piece c, end the roller sttid 27 on the lever 19 engages in like manner the cam t. The relative positions of the cernft and the lever 19 ere shown in Fig; e, Where the cam is indicated by dotted lines; it being situated on the sidel ofthe Wheel which would lie in front of thewheel g,v end"c`onsequently cover thej Wheel g end cem s ifit'were included in Fig. 4. Thecerns s-- beingset in opposite relation, it will be obvious that the levers it-19 Will move in contrerydirection, or one tol lowing the other, insuch time that one bellows will take in air While the other is ein pelling, and thereby produce n continuous end not en intermittent exhnnstion of nir from the dust receptacle.

The Wheels are loose on their sides and nre seperately connected each by a friction clutch so arrzmgedthet the Wheels will engege only in the forward travel or movenient of the sweeper and the appliance can be handled end operated like` en ordinary brush carpet-sweeper with a forward end backward movement; which has the advanhering to the ,pile of the carpet and thus be.

tage of causing the nozzle to loosen and dislodge the dust and dirt and any particles adrendily taken up by the suction as the noz- Zie moves over them.

The clutch employed in the present construction consists of a notched. disk 2S fast on the axle3 e circular lehge 29 on the side maaier g -of'ithe wheel surrounding the disk 28, and friction dogs 1n the torni of rollers 30 lying' loosely in he recesses`-between the eccentric aces'of te iiange; the recesses -being of such ornrthat the dogs 30.Will bite en the flange when the' wheel is turning orvvardt but will not engage the ange in the ref' verse direction of travel.

A further novel feature consists in a dirt loosening shoe of peculiar construction and' arrangement behind the suctioninozzle 7". As herein embodied the device is in the forni of a shoe or corrugated plate 35, as seen in Fig. 7, the rear edge thereof being .connected to the bottom of the dust receptacle in the rear of the suction nozzle, but adjustably attached thereto at the front edge, by a cranked rod 31 from hangers 32 on the sides of the casing. One end oi' the crank-rod terrninatesin a handle 33 on the outside of the i hanger 32, and, by means of stop-pins 3e on the side of the casing, the handle may be locked or lined in' any" one of several angular positions, the effect of which is to raise or lower the shoe at the front side. By this adjustment the Contact of the bottom of the nozzle 'with the carpet is regulated, with the eei-t to cause the nozzle to bear With. varying degrees of pressure on the vcarpet under the weight of the cleaner, or to Work vin any desired relation to the surface of the carpet, or with little or no pressure. As thus arranged, it will be obvious that the Weight of the load at the front end can be. thrown eitlier entirely on the suction nozzle, or partly on the suction nozzle and shoe 35, and the working relation lot the suction nozzle can be nicely regulated, simply by adjusting y the shoe, for which provision is made as before described. This .adjustment is made from the front end, the opposite end being attached to the bottoni of the receptacle by hangers, as seen in Figs. 2,3 and 7.

It will be observed that the screen p is secured to th bottom edge of a wall g depend.

ing from tl e bottom of the casing around the valve openings'ft, said wall f] depending into said dust receptacle m. This screen y), serving as it does to separate the dust from the air, oliers considerable resistance to the action of either suction bellows, and, consequently, W ien eithen suction bellows is operating, a Id the corresponding valve et is open, there' is a current of air through subst antially the \vhole\`surface of the screen But it is necessaryLfo.' this result to take place, that the screen y) be spaced, as shown,

l l by means of the wall g, from the valve open- ,separate the dust from the ai'r passing ingsel. The arrangement of the screen p with reference to the valve openings and the 4 sucti on bellows constitutes an important feature of my invention, as it not only servespto through said bellows, which result has been attained in prior devlccs, but, by its location between the nozzle and the valve open- 1ngs,'and on account of its being spac'd from said valve openings, it serves to equaize the suction through all parts of said screen, therebyrendering said screen less liable to be choked up with dust and more eective in operation.

claimz fl. rlhe combination in a pneumatic carpet cleaner, of a casing, a dust box, a screen device in the upper portion of said box removable therefrom, a suction nozzle secured to and supporting the iront end of said cleaner', the enit thereof entering 'said box under the screen device, a suctio'nuy device go above the boX communicating with tho interior thereof above the screen device, j, urnal bearings on the casing in rear oflthe-box, a shaft supported in said bearings,\traction Wheels on said shaft adapted to supptrt the 35 rear end of the cleaner and cam anca* lever lconnections between the shaft and he suction device for operating the latter.

2. The combination in a pneumatic cleaner ,r having traction Wheels supporting the rear`oo thereof, a dust receptacle removablerom the cleaner and having a horizontal creen device in its upper portion, a suction nozzle supporting the front endof the recefltacli-i,

the exit from the nozzle entering the reoeptacle below the screen device, a suction de'- Vice above the receptacle and connecting devices between tlie wheels and the suction device for operating the latter.

3. The combination in a pneumatic carpet cleaner, of a dust box, a screen device removably mounted on the upperv portion of said box adapted to be removed and replaced in said box, a suction nozzle secured to and supported in the front end of said box, the exit therefrom entering said box under the screen device, journabbearings secured to oeptac'le and communicating therewith, 120

screening means located between the nozzle and suctionilevicdwheels forming the rear support of said appliance, and operative connections between the wheels and the suction device adapted to operate said device upon the rotation of the Wheels.

ln a sweeping appliance, the combination of a dust' receptacle,` a nozzle supporting the front' end thereof and communicating therewith, wheels located near the rear ,1'30

muncatng therewith through valve-conported-in the receptacle around said aper-n mes, sA screen secured to the periphery of all:

end of said dust`1'eceptcle, a suction device l Wheels and said/ suction device 'for oper-igloca-ted over sald dust receptacle and coming said deviceupon the rotation of Said Wheels. @rolled apertures, :L Wall removably sup- CHARLES L. BAENDER.

Witnesses:

GRACE MACDONALD,

ffgzd Well, bperative connections between said C. W. STERNENBERGER. 

